The History of gorse industrial estate

Keith and Margot Eldred purchased the site in March 1966 from the Ministry of Defence having seen an article in the Thetford & Watton Times saying the site had been withdrawn at Auction for £20,000. The agents were contacted and a similar offer was made and accepted. Shortly after purchase some of the cost was recouped by selling some of the underground copper wiring.

The main reason for purchasing the site was to grow mushrooms. This came about because we had just returned from Hong Kong with our one year old son after a tour of three and half years where I was an Estate Surveyor in the New Territories and Margot was a Physiotherapist. We got married there and decided to return to England on the understanding that I would work at something other than surveying. This was because he knew that I would have to take a much lower position in England than I had in Hong Kong.

Keith Margot & Mark in Building 60 which stored Blue Danube

Ann Davey picking mushrooms in 1966. She remained my secretary for 44 years

Our view of the estate from the watchtower

The Watchtower

As the result of successfully growing two mushrooms in our stable I had decided to become a mushroom farmer and this 23 acre site with 55,000 square feet of buildings seemed ideal for this purpose. With professional advice and substantial help from the bank I set up an operation in one of the larger buildings to grow about two tons a week which were sold to Woolworth's who collected and paid once a week. We then had a virus attack which we survived and was reported in the Bury Free Press in February 1968.

Unfortunately after another couple of years the intensive nature of the operation resulted in another virus affecting the crop and on advice from Middlebrook Mushrooms in Yorkshire I closed down the operation.This would have been a total disaster for the Eldred family but for a fire on New Year's Eve which burnt down a warehouse occupied by Conrans who had a large business in Thetford. They immediately used one of the other large buildings as a replacement store and so Gorse Farm Mushrooms was rubbed out and Gorse Industrial Estate was started. We already had one or two businesses on the Estate. Our first tenant was Peter Palmer a deep sea diver who turned his hand to car repairs.The question of Town Planning had to be addressed and although the sale conditions had indicated that industrial use would be allowed the Planning Authority did not like the idea at all. The success of this site is entirely down to Mr Gorst the County Planning Officer who told me that he would allow me to continue with my plans for an Industrial Estate but without planning permission to start with and see what sort of job I made of it. In other words he did not want an unsightly tip to be created. My leases then all included a disclaimer clause should the site be shut down by the planners. Some years later I had an idea to turn part of the site into a Mobile Home Park but this was turned down by the Planning Authority on the grounds that it was an Industrial Area. I immediately applied for Planning permission to officially become an Industrial Estate and this was granted! It is now been zoned as an employment area.HISTORY of BUILDING 581969/71 Caligraving Printing 1972/73 Elgoglass Fibreglass 1974/77 M.Croxen Furniture Storage 1978/81 J.Lister Hort.Store Supernamel/G.H.Stoten Stove Enamelling 1982: Microstor Systems Light Eng. 1983/85 Premier Ind.Finishers 1986: B.D.Lingard Timber Products Manu.1987/89 Bunker M/M Workshop Rec.Studio etc. 1990: Empty1991: J&SD Plastics Plastic Recycling W.F.Sproston Ltd. Smoke House 1992/93 Lambert Ogier Smoke House 1994/2001 Barnham Vehicle Serv. Spray Shop 2002: Empty2003/04 Anglia Limos. Vehicle storage 2005/now K.Whittred Engineering HISTORY OF BUILDING 591969; Wall Panel Cladding Co. Lam.Bldg.Panels 1970/75 Nesshurst Ltd. As above. 1976/83 London Oil Medina Storage Vanguard Eng.Ltd. Machinery Store 1984: D.Switzer Plastic Recycling 1985: Building destroyed by fire in February 1985 Converted site into storage area.1986: Bradley Transport Pallet store 1987: Bradley Transport Pallet store 1991: SB Haulage Pallet store 1992/95 Empty1996/98 Leighwill Eng. Part site for Mobile Workshop 1999/2000 Pearson Skip storage 2001: Riches Transport Lorry Park 2002: L.Ellwood Skip Storage 2002/03 D.Elliston Scrap Yard 2004 Empty2005/06 L.Ellwood Scrap Yard 2007: V.McGrath Scrap Yard 2007/now D.Brooks Pallet Site